Camera assembly

ABSTRACT

A camera assembly comprises a lens assembly supported on a support structure, wherein the lens assembly includes an autofocus actuator arrangement and the camera assembly includes an optical image stabilization assembly arranged to move the lens assembly in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. A flexible printed circuit tape connected between the support structure and the lens assembly and providing an electrical connection to the auto-focus actuator arrangement is bent around a corner, thereby allowing the flexible printed circuit tape to accommodate the motion of the lens assembly perpendicular to the optical axis. A crimp plate connected to the lens assembly which crimps shape memory alloy wires has features extending out of the plane of the crimp plate for reducing flexibility. At least part of the optical image stabilization assembly overlaps the lens assembly in the direction along the optical axis, thereby reducing the height of the camera assembly.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/326,865, filed on Jan. 17, 2017, which is a 371 U.S. National Stageof International Application No. PCT/GB2015/052043, filed on Jul. 15,2015, which claims the benefit of and priority to British PatentApplication No. 1412848.2, filed on Jul. 18, 2014. The entiredisclosures of each of the above applications are incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD

The present invention relates to a camera assembly capable of providingboth an autofocus (AF) function and an optical image stabilisation (OIS)function.

BACKGROUND

The present invention is concerned with integration of the componentsproviding the AF function and an OIS function.

By way of example, a camera assembly of this type is disclosed inWO-2013/75197 and WO-2014/083318. In the camera assembly disclosedtherein, an AF function and an OIS function are provided as follows.

The lens assembly comprises a lens carriage, at least one lens having anoptical axis and supported on the lens carriage in a manner allowingmovement of the lens along its optical axis and an AF actuatorarrangement arranged to move the lens relative to the lens carriagealong the optical axis, for providing focussing.

The lens carriage is supported on the support structure in a mannerallowing movement of the lens assembly relative to the support structurein a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. An OIS assembly isarranged to move the lens carriage relative to the support structure insaid plane perpendicular to the optical axis. In WO-2013/75197 andWO-2014/083318, the OIS assembly comprises shape memory alloy (SMA)wires as an actuator for driving the movement, although in general othertypes of actuator could be used.

SMA actuator wires are known for use in miniature cameras to effectfocus, zoom or optical image stabilization (OIS), as disclosed forexample in WO-2013/75197 and WO-2014/083318.

A first aspect of the present invention is concerned with making of anelectrical connection to the AF actuator arrangement, for example forproviding power and control signals. As the AF actuator arrangement isprovided on the lens assembly which is movable, such an electricalconnection needs to accommodate that movement.

In this regard, WO-2014/083318 discloses making of an electricalconnection through a suspension system of the OIS assembly, inparticular through flexures which suspend the lens assembly on thesupport structure. This provides a neat and compact connection to the AFactuator arrangement. However, it has the disadvantage that only twoelectrical leads are provided, whereas for more advanced AF systems morethan two connections are needed, for example providing leads for sensingand communications in addition to leads for ground and power.

SUMMARY

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a camera assembly comprising: a support structure; a lensassembly comprising a lens carriage, at least one lens having an opticalaxis and supported on the lens carriage in a manner allowing movement ofthe lens along its optical axis and an AF actuator arrangement arrangedto move the lens relative to the lens carriage along the optical axis,wherein the lens carriage is supported on the support structure in amanner allowing movement of the lens assembly relative to the supportstructure in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis; and an OISassembly arranged to move the lens carriage relative to the supportstructure in said plane perpendicular to the optical axis, the cameraassembly further comprising a flexible printed circuit tape connectedbetween the support structure and the lens assembly and providing anelectrical connection to the AF actuator arrangement, the flexibleprinted circuit tape being bent around a corner.

Thus, flexible printed circuit tape connected between the supportstructure and the lens assembly is used to provide an electricalconnection to the AF actuator arrangement. The use of flexible printedcircuit tape allows multiple, for example three or more, separateelectrical connections to be provided.

However, it has been appreciated that flexible printed circuit tape mayin general provide insufficient accommodation of the motion of the lenscarriage relative to the support structure driven by the OIS assembly,because such motion may in general be in any direction in the planeperpendicular to the optical axis, whereas flexible printed circuit tapewill typically flex predominantly in a single direction, that isperpendicular to its face. Accordingly, the flexible printed circuittape is arranged bent around a corner. As such, it can be arranged toaccommodate the motion of the lens carriage relative to the supportstructure driven by the OIS assembly in any direction in the planeperpendicular to the optical axis.

Optionally, a bend former may be connected to the flexible printedcircuit tape on each side of the corner. This provides the advantagethat the bend former may constrain the bend of the flexible printedcircuit tape and reduce the strain on the flexible printed circuit tape,for example without the need to plastically deform the flexible printedcircuit tape to form the bend.

Alternatively according the first aspect of the present invention, thereis provided a camera assembly comprising an OIS mechanism and a lensassembly including an AF mechanism, wherein the OIS mechanism causes thelens assembly to move in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis ofthe lens assembly, and the electrical connection from the AF mechanismto an external non-moving part comprises FPC tape bent around a corner.The various features of the first aspect of the invention may be appliedto this alternative also.

A second aspect of the present invention is concerned with reducing thecomplexity and/or the height of the camera apparatus in a directionalong the optical axis.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a camera assembly comprising: a support structure; a lensassembly comprising a lens carriage, at least one lens having an opticalaxis and supported on the lens carriage in a manner allowing movement ofthe lens along its optical axis and an AF actuator arrangement arrangedto move the lens relative to the lens carriage along the optical axis,wherein the lens carriage is supported on the support structure in amanner allowing movement of the lens assembly relative to the supportstructure in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis; and an OISassembly comprising shape memory alloy wires arranged to move the lenscarriage relative to the support structure in said plane perpendicularto the optical axis, wherein the OIS assembly comprises a crimp plateconnected to the lens assembly which crimps one end of the shape memoryalloy wires, the crimp plate extending in a plane and provided with atleast one feature that extends out of the plane of the crimp plate forreducing flexibility of the crimp plate.

Thus, the second aspect of the present invention concerns the form of anOIS assembly that comprises a crimp plate connected to the lens assemblyfor crimping one end of the shape memory alloy wires. In particular thecrimp plate is provided with at least one feature that extends out ofthe plane of the crimp plate. Such a feature may reduce the flexibilityof the crimp plate. That provides significant advantage, because thereduced flexibility allows the design of the OIS assembly to be improvedwhile still providing a desired amount of rigidity to allow handlingduring manufacture.

For example, in some embodiments the OIS assembly may include lesscomponents connected to the crimp plate, thereby having reducedcomplexity.

Similarly, in some embodiments the OIS assembly may be formed with lessheight in a direction along the optical axis, for example by providingless components connected to the crimp plate and/or reducing thethickness of the crimp plate or components attached thereto. Suchreduction in height is important in many camera apparatuses whereminiaturisation is an every increasing demand.

Alternatively according to the second aspect of the present invention,there is provided a camera assembly comprising an OIS mechanism and alens assembly including an AF mechanism, wherein the OIS mechanismcauses the lens assembly to move in a plane perpendicular to the opticalaxis of the lens assembly, and the lens assembly is attached to the OISmechanism at a plate which extends to crimps attaching the SMA wires ofthe OIS mechanism. The various features of the second aspect of theinvention may be applied to this alternative also.

A third aspect of the present invention is concerned with reducing theheight of the camera apparatus in a direction along the optical axis.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a camera assembly comprising: a support structure; a lensassembly comprising a lens carriage, at least one lens having an opticalaxis and supported on the lens carriage in a manner allowing movement ofthe lens along its optical axis and an AF actuator arrangement arrangedto move the lens relative to the lens carriage along the optical axis,wherein the lens carriage is supported on the support structure in amanner allowing movement of the lens assembly relative to the supportstructure in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis; and an OISassembly comprising shape memory alloy wires arranged to move the lenscarriage relative to the support structure in said plane perpendicularto the optical axis, wherein at least part of the OIS assembly overlapsthe lens assembly in the direction along the optical axis.

By means of the overlap thus provided, the height of the cameraapparatus is reduced in the direction along the optical axis. Suchreduction in height is important in many camera apparatuses whereminiaturisation is an ever increasing demand.

Alternatively according to the third aspect of the present invention,there is provided a camera assembly comprising an OIS mechanism and alens assembly including an AF mechanism, wherein the OIS mechanismcauses the lens assembly to move in a plane perpendicular to the opticalaxis of the lens assembly, and wherein the lens assembly and OISmechanism overlap in the direction of the optical axis. The variousfeatures of the third aspect of the invention may be applied to thisalternative also.

DRAWINGS

To allow better understanding, an embodiment of the present inventionwill now be described by way of non-limitative example with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a camera assembly;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the OIS assembly of the camera assembly;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the camera assembly with the canremoved;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a flexible printed circuit tape of thecamera assembly;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a bend former for connection to the flexibleprinted circuit tape;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the bend former connected to theflexible printed circuit tape;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternative bend former;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a camera assembly with the can removedwith an alternative form of connection at the lens assembly;

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of a crimp plate and the lensassembly;

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a comparative example ofa camera assembly; and

FIGS. 11 and 12 are schematic cross-sectional views of camera assembliesachieving a height reduction compared to the comparative example of FIG.10 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A camera assembly 1 is shown in FIG. 1 which is a cross-sectional viewtaken along the optical axis O. Except for some differences describedbelow, the camera assembly 1 has the construction as the cameraapparatus described in FIGS. 1 to 10 of WO-2014/083318, which isincorporated herein by reference. For brevity, a concise description ofthe camera assembly is provided herein, but reference is made toWO-2014/083318 for further details.

The camera assembly 1 comprises a lens assembly 20 supported on asupport structure 4 by an OIS assembly 40.

The support structure 4 supports an image sensor 6 which is mountedthereon. The support structure 4 comprises a base 5, the image sensor 6being mounted on the front side of the base 5. On the rear side of thebase 5, there is mounted an IC (integrated circuit) chip 30 and also agyroscope sensor 31. The support structure 4 also comprises a can 7containing the camera assembly 1 and in particular the OIS assembly 40for the purpose of encapsulation and protection.

The lens assembly 20 comprises a lens carriage 21 in the form of acylindrical body supporting two lenses 22 arranged along the opticalaxis O, although in general any number of one or more lenses 22 may beprovided. The camera assembly 1 is a miniature camera in which thelenses 22 have a diameter of 10 mm or less.

The lens assembly 20 is arranged to focus an image onto the image sensor6. The image sensor 6 captures the image and may be of any suitabletype, for example a CCD (charge-coupled device) or a CMOS (complimentarymetal-oxide-semiconductor) device.

The lenses 22 are supported on the lens carriage 21 in the followingmanner so that the lenses 22 are movable along the optical axis Orelative to the lens carriage 21 for providing focussing.

The lenses 22 are fixed to a lens holder 23 which is itself supported onthe lens carriage 21 in a manner allowing movement of the lens holder 23and hence the lenses 22 along the optical axis O. In this example allthe lenses 22 are fixed to the lens holder 23, but in general one ormore of the lenses 22 may be fixed to the lens carriage 21 and so notmovable along the optical axis O relative to the lens carriage 21,leaving at least one of the lenses 22 fixed to the lens holder 23.

The lens assembly 20 also comprises an autofocus actuator arrangement 24which is provided between the lens carriage 21 and the lens holder 23and is arranged to drive movement of the lens holder 23 and lenses 22along the optical axis O relative to the lens carriage 21. The autofocusactuator arrangement 24 may be any suitable type, for example being avoice coil motor (VCM) or an arrangement of SMA actuator wires, such asis described in detail in any one of WO-2007/113478, WO-2008/099156 orWO-2009/056822, which are each incorporated herein by reference, and towhich reference is made for a full description.

The OIS assembly 40 supports the lens carriage 21, and hence the lensassembly 20 as a whole, in a manner allowing movement of the lensassembly 20 relative to the support structure 4 in a plane perpendicularto the optical axis O as shown by the arrows X and Y. The OIS assembly40, in operation, moves the lens assembly 20 relative to the supportstructure 4 in that plane. Such movement has the effect that the imageformed on the image sensor 6 is moved. This is used to provide OIS,compensating for image movement of the camera assembly 1, caused by forexample hand shake.

The construction of the OIS assembly 40 is shown in FIG. 2 and will nowbe described.

The OIS assembly 40 comprises (a) a movable platform 60 (shownschematically in FIG. 1 and described in more detail below) connected tothe lens assembly 20, in particular to the to the lens carriage 21, and(b) a support plate 50 that forms part of the support structure 4 and isconnected to the base 5.

The movable platform 60 is supported on the support plate 50 by pluralballs 75 and two flexure arms 67. The support plate 50 has recesses 74in which respective balls 75 are located and laterally retained.

In this example, three balls 75 are provided, but in general any numberof balls 75 could be provided. It is preferable to provide at leastthree balls 75 to prevent relative tilting of the movable platform 60and the support plate 50. Three balls 75 are sufficient to support thesupport plate 50 without tilting, and the provision of three balls 75has the advantage of easing the tolerances required to maintain pointcontact with each ball 75 in a common plane. It would be possible to usemore than three balls, for example four balls 75, which would allow asymmetrical design.

The balls 75 act as rotary bearings allowing movement of the camera lensassembly 20 relative to the support structure 4 in the planeperpendicular to the optical axis O. The balls 75 may be spherical, ormay in general be any rotary element with curved surfaces that bearagainst the movable platform 60 and the support plate 50 and are able toroll back and forth and around in operation.

The movable platform 60 and the support plate 50 each have a laminatedconstruction of insulator layers and metallic layers bonded by adhesive.The insulator layers may each be made of any suitable electricallyinsulating material, for example a polymer material such as kapton whichis a polyimide material commonly used in printed circuits. The adhesivemay be in any suitable form, for example adhesive-impregnated kapton ora double sided adhesive between the bonded surfaces.

The flexure arms 67 each extend between the movable platform 60 and thesupport plate 50. Each flexure arm 67 is provided with a base fitting 68at the static end of the flexure arm 67. The base fitting 68 is mountedto the support plate 50 and hence to the support structure 4 as a whole.This mounting may be achieved by soldering.

Each flexure arm 67 is formed integrally with a moving fitting 69 at themoving end of the flexure arm 67. The moving fitting 69 is a plate thatis laminated into the movable platform 60, and hence mounted to thecamera lens assembly 20. The moving fitting 69 bears on the balls 75which are thereby disposed between the support structure 4 and thecamera lens assembly 20 and act as rotary bearings.

The flexure arms 67 are arranged as follows to provide their mechanicalfunction. Each flexure arm 67 is an elongate beam connected between thesupport structure 4 and the camera lens assembly 20.

The flexure arms 67, due to their intrinsic resilience, bias the supportstructure 4 and the camera lens element 20 against the balls 75, thebiasing force being applied parallel to the optical axis O. Thismaintains the contact with the balls 75. At the same time, the flexurearms 67 may be laterally deflected to permit said movement of the cameralens assembly 20 relative to the support structure 4 orthogonal to theoptical axis O, to permit an OIS function.

The flexure arms 67, again due to their intrinsic resilience, provide alateral biasing force that biases the camera lens assembly 20 towards acentral position. As a result, in the absence of driving of the lateralmovement of the camera lens assembly 20, the camera lens assembly 20will tend towards the central position, even in the absence of driving.

The flexure arms 67 are designed as follows to provide a suitableretaining force on the balls 75 along the optical axis O and also topermit lateral movement with a lateral biasing force. The magnitude ofthe lateral biasing force is kept low enough as not to hinder OIS,whilst being high enough to centre the camera lens assembly 20 in theabsence of driving.

Each flexure arm 67 has a cross-section with an average width orthogonalto the optical axis O is that is greater than its average thicknessparallel to the optical axis O. Each flexure arm 67 extends in anL-shape around the optical axis O, it in general being desirable thatthe angular extent is at least 90 degrees as measured between the endsof the flexure arm 67.

In the manufactured state of the OIS assembly 40, the flexure arms 67are deflected from their relaxed state to provide a pre-loading forcethat biases the support structure 4 and the camera lens assembly 20against the balls 75.

The flexure arms 67 are made of a suitable material that provides a goodbearing, provides the desired mechanical properties and is electricallyconductive. Typically the material is a metal having a relatively highyield, for example steel such as stainless steel.

The OIS assembly 40 additionally comprises a total of four SMA actuatorwires 80 extending between the support plate 50 that forms part of thesupport structure 4 and the movable platform 60 that is connected to thelens assembly 20.

The SMA actuator wires 80 are connected at one end to the support plate50 by crimp portions 51 formed in a layer 52 that is one of thelaminated layers of the support plate 50.

The SMA actuator wires 80 are connected at the other end to the movableplatform 60 by crimp portions 61 formed in a crimp plate 62. The crimpplate 62 is one of the laminated layers of the movable platform 60 andis therefore connected to the lens assembly 20. For reasons discussed inmore detail below, the crimp portions 61 are shaped to extend out of theplane of the crimp plate in a direction towards the lens assembly 20.The crimp plate 62 is shaped with steps 64 to position the crimpportions 61 above the plane of the crimp plate 62 in a direction towardsthe lens assembly 20.

The crimp plate 62 extends in a plane. To reduce its flexibility, thecrimp plate 62 is provided with plural features 63 (in general anynumber of one or more such features may be provided) which extend out ofthe plane of the crimp plate 62. In this case, the features 63 are tabsbent out of the plane of the crimp plate 62, but in general the features63 could have alternative forms. Advantageously, the features 63 mayalso be used for alignment and application of adhesive duringmanufacture.

The reduced flexibility of the crimp plate 62 provides significantadvantage, because the reduced flexibility allows the design of the OISassembly to be improved while still providing a desired amount ofrigidity to allow handling during manufacture. For example components ofthe movable platform 60 such as the crimp plate 62 and the movingfitting 69 that is formed integrally with the flexure arms 67 may bemade thinner than otherwise. Similarly, the movable platform 60 may beformed by a lesser number of laminated components than otherwise. Forexample, WO-2014/083318 discloses arrangements in which the movableplate has an interface plate, which may be omitted in the present cameraassembly 1. This allows reduction in the complexity and the height ofthe camera apparatus 1 in the direction along the optical axis O.

The crimp portions 51 and 61 crimp the SMA actuator wires 80 to holdthem mechanically, optionally strengthened by the use of adhesive.

Each of the SMA actuator wires 80 is held in tension, thereby applying aforce between the movable platform 60 and the support plate 50 in adirection perpendicular to the optical axis O.

The SMA actuator wires 80 have an arrangement around the optical axis Oas follows. Each of the SMA actuator wires 80 is arranged along one sideof the lens assembly 20 in a symmetrical arrangement. Considering eachpair of SMA actuator wires 80 on adjacent sides, at the adjacent endsthe SMA actuator wires are both connected to the support plate 50 or tothe movable platform 60, as shown in FIG. 2 . For example, the lowermostpair of SMA actuator wires 80 in FIG. 2 are attached at their adjacentends to the support plate 50 and the leftmost pair of SMA actuator wires80 in FIG. 2 are attached are attached at their adjacent ends to themovable plate 60. As a result, movement in any direction in the planeperpendicular to the optical axis O may be driven by actuation of theSMA actuator wires 80 in combination. Actuation of any pair of SMAactuator wires 80 on adjacent sides will move the movable platform 60relative to the support plate 50 in a direction that bisects that pairof SMA actuator wires 80. For example, contraction of the lowermost pairof SMA actuator wires 80 in FIG. 2 will drive movement in a directionbisecting directions X and Y in FIG. 2 , and so on. Movement in anydirection may be achieved by actuation of appropriate SMA actuator wires80.

As a result, the SMA actuator wires 80 are capable of being selectivelydriven to move the lens assembly 20 relative to the support assembly 4to any position in a range of movement in the plane perpendicular to theoptical axis O. The magnitude of the range of movement depends on thegeometry and the range of contraction of the SMA actuator wires 80within their normal operating parameters.

The position of the lens assembly 20 relative to the support assembly 4perpendicular to the optical axis O is controlled by selectively varyingthe temperature of the SMA actuator wires 80. This is achieved bypassing through SMA actuator wires 80 selective drive currents thatprovide resistive heating. Heating is provided directly by the drivecurrent. Cooling is provided by reducing or ceasing the drive current toallow the SMA actuator wires 80 to cool by conduction, convection andradiation to its surroundings. Rapid heating and cooling of the SMAactuator wire 80 is necessary to compensate for handshake, whichtypically occurs at frequencies up to several Hertz. A rapid response isalso needed in focus and zoom applications. For this reason, the SMAactuator wires 80 are relatively thin, typically having a diameter ofthe order of 25 μm, since such thin wire heats and cools very quickly.

The control of the SMA actuator wires 80 of the camera assembly 1 iseffected by a control circuit implemented in the IC chip 30 andconnected to each of the SMA actuator wires 80. The control circuitgenerates drive signals to effect OIS and supplies them to the SMAactuator wires 80. The drive signals are generated on the basis of theoutput signal of the gyroscope sensor 31 that detects the angularvelocity of the lens assembly 20, thereby acting as a vibration sensorthat detects the vibrations of the camera assembly 1. The control may beeffected as described in WO-2014/083318 to which reference is made forfurther details.

The control circuit implemented in the IC chip 30 is also electricallyconnected to the AF actuator arrangement 24 through a flexible printedcircuit (FPC) tape 103 which is physically connected between the supportstructure 4 and the lens assembly 20 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , and isarranged as follows.

The support structure 4 has input conductive tabs 102 arranged along thebase 5 on a first side of the camera assembly 1 extending transverse todirection X. Control signals from the control circuit implemented in theIC chip 30 and power from an external supply are supplied to the inputconductive tabs 102. Similarly, the movable platform 60 which is fixedto the lens assembly 20 has output conductive tabs 104 arranged on asecond side of the camera assembly 1 extending transverse to directionY, adjacent the first side.

The FPC tape 103 is physically and electrically connected between theinput and output conductive tabs 102 and 104. In this example, the FPCtape provides four separate electrical connections between the input andoutput conductive tabs 102 and 104, but may in general provide anynumber of connections. The output conductive tabs 104 are connected tothe AF actuator arrangement 24 for supplying the control signals andpower thereto. Optionally, sensor signals may be supplied in theopposite direction through electrical connections on the FPC tape 103from the AF actuator assembly 24 to the control circuit implemented inthe IC chip 30.

The FPC tape 103 may have a conventional construction, for examplecomprising a flexible substrate made of a suitable material, for examplea plastic such as polyimide, PEEK or polyester.

The FPC tape 103 extends from the input conductive tabs 102 along thefirst side, and is then bent around a corner 105 before extending to theoutput conductive tabs 104 along the second side.

As the flexible printed circuit tape is arranged bent around the corner105, it accommodates the motion of the lens assembly 20 relative to thesupport structure 4 in any direction in the plane perpendicular to theoptical axis O. An FPC tape will typically flex in a single directionperpendicular to its face, while resisting motion in other directionstransverse to its face or along its length. However, as the FPC tape 103is bent, the two parts of the FPC tape 103 on each side of the corner105 can accommodate motion in different directions with minimal strain.That is, the part of the FPC tape 103 on the first side can accommodatemotion of the lens assembly 20 in direction X and the part of the FPCtape 103 on the second side can accommodate motion of the lens assembly20 in direction Y.

In this example, the corner 105 is of 90 degrees and extends along anaxis parallel to the optical axis O. This is advantageous because itprovides the best accommodation of motion of the lens assembly 20relative to the support structure 4 in the plane perpendicular to theoptical axis O, although other configurations with a bend around acorner may provide similar effects.

Optionally, the FPC tape 103 may be connected to a bend former 106 asshown in FIGS. 4 to 6 , although the bend former 106 is not shown inFIG. 3 for clarity. The bend former 106 is connected to the FPC tape 103on each side of the corner 105.

More specifically, the bend former 106 is shaped to comprise two mountportions 108 and a bridge portion 109. The mount portions 108 areconnected to the FPC tape 103 at separated locations on each side of thecorner 105, as best seen in FIG. 6 . The bridge portion 109 extendsbetween the mount portions 108 outside the FPC tape 103 and so withoutbeing connected to the FPC tape 103.

In an alternative form shown in FIG. 7 , the bend former 106 maycomprise two bridge portions 109 extending between the mount portions108 outside the FPC tape 103 on opposite sides of the FPC tape 103.

The bend former 106 constrains the bending of the FPC tape 103 andaccurately locates the corner 105. In particular, the corner 105 may beformed without the need to plastically deform the FPC tape 103. Thisreduces the strain on the FPC tape 103 which might otherwise be causedby the corner 105. Similarly, the bend former 106 keeps the two parts ofthe FPC tape 103 on each side of the corner 105 flat and prevents bowingof the tape, contact with the walls of the can 7 and interference withmovement.

The bend former 106 may advantageously be formed from metal, although ingeneral any material providing appropriate structural properties couldbe used, for example a plastic.

The bend former 106 may be formed from a sheet, for example a sheet ofmetal. In this case, the bend former 106 may initially be planar andthen be shaped by plastically deforming the bridge portion 109 along anaxis 107 which after connection to the FPC tape 103 is parallel to thecorner 105.

In FIGS. 3 and 4 , the output conductive tabs 104 are shown lyinghorizontally on the movable platform 60. Typically, the outputconductive tabs 104 would be formed on to the upper portion of the OISassembly 40 for ease of connection to the AF actuator assembly 24. As analternative shown in FIG. 8 , the FPC tape 103 may be provided withconnector tabs 109 for connection to custom tabs 110 provided on theexternal surface of the lens carriage 21 of the lens assembly 20 andtherefore lying vertically. In this case, the lens assembly 20 may bearthe connector tabs 109 of the FPC 103. In manufacture, the lens assembly20 bearing the custom tabs 110 is attached to the OIS assembly 40bearing the FPC tape 103, and the connector tabs 109 of the FPC 103 arethen connected to the custom tabs 110 on the lens assembly 20.

There will now be discussed the reason why the crimp plate 62 is shapedwith steps 64 to position the crimp portions 61 above the plane P of thecrimp plate 62 in a direction towards the lens assembly 20, as shown inFIG. 9 . This has the result of shifting the lens assembly 20 relativeto the OIS assembly 40 such that part of the OIS assembly 40 overlapsthe lens assembly 20 in the direction along the optical axis O, thatoverlapping part of the OIS assembly including the SMA actuator wires80. The overlap is with the lens holder 23 and also with the lenscarriage 21. Such an overlapping arrangement contrasts with the cameradisclosed in WO-2014/083318 wherein the lens assembly is simply stackedon the OIS assembly.

Herein, the references to the direction of the overlap being along theoptical axis O has its normal meaning of being the direction in whichthe overlap occurs, that is an overlap as viewed perpendicular to theoptical axis O. Consequently, the height of the camera apparatus 1 inthe direction along the optical axis O may be reduced. Such a reductionin height is very significant as miniaturisation is an ever increasingdemand. The height is particularly significant in many electronicdevices, for example smart phones, where there is a demand for thethickness of the device to be reduced. The reduction in height isachieved at the expense of increasing the footprint perpendicular to theoptical axis O, but reducing the height is generally of greaterimportance.

Some further alternative constructions for the camera assembly 1 whichachieve a similar height reduction by a similar overlap now be describedwith reference to FIGS. 10 to 12 which illustrate alternativeconstructions for the camera assembly 1. Except for the modificationsdescribed below, in each of the alternative constructions the cameraassembly 1 has the same arrangement as discussed above and commonreference numerals will be used for common components. In particular,FIGS. 10 to 12 show the OIS assembly 40 comprising the support plate 50,the movable platform 60, the SMA actuator wires 80 and the balls 75. Thesupport plate 50 and the movable platform 60 are illustrated ascomprising plural laminated layers including the crimp plate 62 thatinclude the crimp portions 61 that crimp the SMA actuator wires 80. Inthe constructions of FIGS. 10 to 12 , the crimp plate 62 is formedwithout the steps 64, so that the crimp portions 61 are in the plane ofthe remainder of the crimp plate 62.

FIG. 10 illustrates a construction of the camera assembly 1 that is acomparative example in which the lens assembly 20 is stacked on the OISassembly 40 in a similar manner to WO-2014/083318. As a result the OISassembly 40 does not overlap the lens assembly 20. FIG. 10 shows thatthe support plate 50 and the movable platform 60 are annular, enclosingan aperture 111 through which light from the lens assembly 20 istransmitted to the image sensor (not shown in FIG. 10 ). The crimp plate62 and the SMA actuator wires 80 are higher up (in a direction along theoptical axis O towards the lens assembly 20) the laminate stack of thesupport plate 50 and the movable platform 60 than the balls 75.

FIG. 11 illustrates a construction of the camera assembly 1 in whichpart of the OIS assembly 40 overlaps the lens assembly 20 in thedirection along the optical axis O. In this case, that overlapping partof the OIS assembly 40 includes the SMA actuator wires 80 and themovable platform 60, but not the balls 75 and the support plate 50. Toaccommodate this overlap, the movable platform 60 comprises, as itsuppermost layer, a cradle 114 having a step 115 offset from theremainder of the cradle 114 in a direction along the optical axis O awayfrom the lens assembly 20 and on which the lens assembly 20 is mounted.FIG. 11 shows the partial overlap of the OIS assembly 40 and the lensassembly 20 along the optical axis O. This provides a small reduction inheight and some increase in footprint, to accommodate the movableplatform 60 outboard of the lens assembly 20.

FIG. 12 illustrates a construction of the camera assembly 1 in which allof the OIS assembly 40, including the balls 75 and the support plate 50,overlaps the lens assembly 20 in the direction along the optical axis O.In this case, the OIS assembly 40 is almost entirely outboard of thelens assembly 20. FIG. 11 shows the total overlap of the OIS assembly 40and the lens assembly 20 along the optical axis O. To accommodate thisoverlap, the movable platform 60 comprises a cradle 114 in a similarconfiguration to that of FIG. 11 , except that the step 115 provides alarger offset from the remainder of the cradle 114. This constructionprovides a very significant height saving, as the ball 75 mighttypically measure around 0.6 mm in which case a height reduction ofabout 1 mm might be achieved.

1-13. (canceled)
 14. An assembly comprising: a support structuredefining a primary axis; a movable platform which is supported on thesupport structure in a manner allowing movement of the movable platformrelative to the support structure in a plane perpendicular to theprimary axis; an actuator assembly arranged to move the movable platformrelative to the support structure in said plane perpendicular to theprimary axis; and a flexible printed circuit tape that flexespredominantly in a direction perpendicular to its face, the flexibleprinted circuit tape being connected between the support structure andmovable platform and providing an electrical connection to the movableplatform, the flexible printed circuit tape being bent around a cornerextending along an axis parallel to the primary axis so that there is apart of the flexible printed circuit tape flexing in differentdirections perpendicular to the primary axis.
 15. The assembly accordingto claim 14, wherein the flexible printed circuit tape is bent around acorner of 90 degrees.
 16. The assembly according to claim 14, furthercomprising a bend former connected to the flexible printed circuit tapeon each side of the corner.
 17. The assembly according to claim 16,wherein the bend former is made of metal.
 18. The assembly according toclaim 17, wherein the bend former comprises two mount portions connectedto the flexible printed circuit tape at separated locations on each sideof the corner and at least one bridge portion extending between themount portions without being connected to the flexible printed circuittape.
 19. The assembly according to claim 18, wherein the at least onebridge portion extends between the mount portions outside the flexibleprinted circuit tape.
 20. The assembly according to claim 19, whereinthe at least one bridge portion comprises two bridge portions extendingbetween the mount portions outside the flexible printed circuit tape onopposite sides of the flexible printed circuit tape.
 21. The assemblyaccording to claim 18, wherein the bend former is formed from a sheet inwhich the bridge portion has been plastically deformed.
 22. The assemblyaccording to claim 14, wherein the actuator assembly comprises shapememory alloy wires.
 23. The assembly according to claim 14, furthercomprising an image sensor mounted to the support structure.
 24. Theassembly according to claim 14, wherein the actuator assembly is anoptical image stabilisation assembly.